Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Why Such Strong Views?

We care, or don’t care, for many
reasons. It’s good to know why we are so strong in our views. Is such strength of view a good
thing? Sometimes yes; sometimes no.

Why is it that our views are so
strong? Why is it that others views are strong, and correspondingly stronger as
we see them?

Stronger Our View – More Isolated We
Become

The strength of our views, and
what they are, represents the deeper person inside.

In what is commonly referred to as
transference, we telegraph our inner pain and irreconcilable features,
unsuspectingly and with full sincerity, hardly doubting both our ‘fact’ and
intent.

But the facts are increasingly
blurred the stronger our views become, and our intent, too, becomes self-righteously
exposed. We all have our hobby-horse agendas that expose the fault-lines of our
personalities.

Our strength of view is a good
predictor of a special type of narcissism, with which we can all be prone. When
we polarise into our truth—the truth only we are seeing—our views can only be
strengthened; despite other vital information that would otherwise temper such
strong views—and for good reason.

Strong views, therefore, are to be
avoided. Governing them in logic and reasonability is always better, for truth
is more abstract to the partial, judgmental human eye.

When we cling to our truth,
especially in spite of resistance, the truth gets lost in our passion to retain
or gain power. We become blinded by it. Truth is quickly swamped and silenced.

Holding To Broader Perspectives

It pleases God and wins us more
respect when we are seen to hold to broader perspectives. It’s no irony that
abiding with the truth serves us, and others, very well.

The mature person works on the
strong views that emerge from within them and they search for a more pliable
thought framework. Introspective challenge is their constant aim. And because
they are not sold on one or two hobby-horse big ideas their minds are free to
challenge their thinking.

We should routinely challenge our
thinking. If we don’t, we tend to instead challenge other people’s thinking—and
perhaps too much. More introspection equals more growth and learning and less
judging of others.

***

Strong views do not serve us well.
It would be better for us to challenge our thinking, not others’ thinking. If
our views are valid, action proves far more convincing than words.